In recent years, sustainability has promoted new research to develop reformulation strategies for value-added food products by exploiting grape pomace. Grape pomace powder (GP) was used to substitute spelt flour (SF) at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25% to obtain three types of fortified pastry products: biscuits and cakes involving a chemical leavening agent, and rolls leavened by yeast. Proximate composition, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoids content (TFC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) along with physical characteristics and sensory analysis of the enriched products were considered. The retention rate of the functional attributes of formulations in response to baking was also evaluated. Significant improvements in TPC, TFC and both antioxidant tests were achieved in the fortified products by the incremental incorporation of GP. With a substitution of 25% SF by GP, the following increases were recorded in biscuits, cakes and rolls over the control samples: 7.198-, 7.733- and 8.117-fold for TPC; 8.414-, 7.000- and 8.661-fold for TFC; 16.334-, 17.915- and 18.659-fold for FRAP and 16.384-, 17.908- and 18.775-fold for DPPH. The retention rates of TPC, TFC, FRAP and DPPH relative to the corresponding dough were 41–63%, 37–65%, 48–70% and 45–70%. The formulas leavened by yeast revealed higher functionality than those produced with a chemical raising agent. With the increase in GP, the elasticity and porosity gradually decreased for cakes and rolls, while the spread ratio of biscuits increased. Regarding sensory evaluation, all formulations with incorporated GP up to 10% were rated at an extremely pleasant acceptability level. The solutions derived from this study have great practical applicability for the development of new pastry formulations with improved functionality from GP valorisation.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate, from a chemical and antibacterial point of view, sprouts from species of Fabaceae and Brassicaceae families, to establish a correlation between analyzed parameters and to test the possibility of using these functional compounds in the flour food industry. The material used was lentil sprouts (LS), pea sprouts (PS), bean sprouts (BS), and radish sprouts (RS), which were chemically analyzed by determining the content of total and individual polyphenols and macro- and microelements. The antimicrobial potential of the sprout extracts obtained was tested using the disk diffusion method on five bacterial strains: Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. In order to capitalize on the flour food industry, the sprouts were introduced in the recipes for the manufacture of some cookies, and sensory analysis was performed. The results obtained indicated that LS are the sprouts with the highest content of TPC (524.130 mg/100 g) and highest content for Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Mg, while the highest values for Ca were recorded in the case of PS (256.575 ± 2.23 mg/kg), and for K in the case of the BS sample (4819.450 ± 1.1 mg/kg). The RS extract has been shown to be effective against E. faecalis (MIC-70 µL/mL), S. aureus (MIC 50 µL/mL), and PS against S. aureus (MIC 70 µL/mL). Regarding the sensory analysis of cookies, the panelists participating in the study preferred products based on BS and PS in a percentage of 2.5%.

The lingonberries represent a valuable resource for many sectors of the food industry in a wide variety of both organic and conventional products. In the context of little information on the use of dried and ground lingonberries mixed with flour in bakery processing, this study aimed to evaluate how the use of spelt wheat flour fortified with dried lingonberry powder in the preparation of cookies, muffins, and brioches with different types of dough can improve their nutritional, functional, and sensory properties, and the degree to which the rheological properties of the dough are affected. The results of the proximate composition analysis revealed that the use of fortified flour in the pastries matrix led to a significant increase in mineral content by an average of 9% and a reduction in protein content up to 7% progressively with the concentration of fruit powder in fortified flour, relative to control samples. The phytochemical profile of pastry products led to a statistically significant enhancement by using fortified flour in their manufacturing formula, with results showing increases of 10 times in total flavonoids content, 9.3 times in total phenolic content, up to 2 times in DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical inhibition ability, and for FRAP (ferric-reducing antioxidant power), with values of 14.8 times relative to the control in cookies. The rheological behavior highlighted that the mixing of lingonberry powder with spelt flour is suitable for dough prepared with liquid in order to form gluten up to 15% of fruit addition. The best rated from a sensory point of view were muffins prepared from flour fortified with 10% lingonberry powder. The data resulted from this research suggest that the inclusion of lingonberry powder in spelt wheat flour consists of a promising solution to develop innovative pastry products with improved functional properties.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the nutritional, functional, and technological potential of whey resulting as a by-product in the dairy industry, as such or mixed with berries (blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries) to obtain healthy jellies with added value. In this regard, the following parameters were analyzed: protein content, total amino acids, total mineral substances, macro- and microelements, antioxidant capacity, and total polyphenols. Also, the storage stability, textural and color parameters, FTIR spectra, and microstructures of jellies were analyzed. The results obtained showed that the protein content ranged from 4.18% to 4.51%, with a general increase observed in the variants with added whey and berries. Regarding total mineral substances, a significant increase was noted in jellies with added whey (0.34%) and strawberries (0.35%), compared to the control (0.15%). Whey jellies presented the highest levels of K, Ca, Mg, Zn, and Fe, while samples with added fruits completed the microelement (Mn, Cu, Ni, and Cr) content. The storage stability at 4 °C and the evolution of pH and acidity confirm that the products maintain their structure, while when stored at ambient temperature an acceleration of the decrease in pH and an increase in acidity are observed after 14 days. The jellies with combined additions (whey and berries) presented the most favorable microstructure, which supports the use of synergistic functional ingredients in the development of innovative products with high nutritional and sensory value. The FTIR spectra reflect the composition of the ingredients used. Based on obtained results, it can be concluded that whey represents a versatile and sustainable resource for obtaining functional jellies, offering both nutritional benefits and favorable economic and ecological perspectives.

Germination is widely recognized as an effective strategy to enhance the nutritional quality and reduce anti-nutritional factors in plant foods. This study evaluated the impact of germination on Cruciferous vegetables (family Cruciferae or Brassicaceae) broccoli and kale by assessing changes in proximate composition, macro- and microelement profiles, total and individual polyphenols, phytic acid content, antimicrobial activity, and structural characteristics using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS/WAXS) analyses. Germination significantly increased protein content (30.33% in broccoli sprouts and 30.21% in kale sprouts), total phenolic content (424.40 mg/100 g in broccoli sprouts and 497.94 mg/100 g in kale sprouts), and essential minerals, while reducing phytic acid levels in both species (up to 82.20%). Antimicrobial effects were matrix-dependent, being detected in broccoli and kale seed powders, while no inhibitory activity was observed for the corresponding sprout powders under the tested conditions. FTIR spectra indicated notable modifications in functional groups related to carbohydrates, proteins, and phenolic compounds, while SAXS analysis revealed structural reorganizations at the nanoscale. Overall, germination improved the nutritional and phytochemical quality of broccoli and kale while decreasing anti-nutritional compounds, highlighting its potential to enhance the health-promoting value of Brassica sprouts.